A Brave Choice
by sginga
Summary: this is what I think might have happened if Montag decided to knock on the door and ask to listen to what they were talking about.


A Brave Choice by Stefen Gray

_Note: this is after Mildred's suicide attempt, when Montag stands at their door but can't muster the courage to knock._

Montag stood outside the talking house of the McClellan, thinking he might even tap on their door and whisper, "Let me come in. I won't say anything. I just want to listen. What is it you're saying?" He musters up the will to move his hand to the door and knock, the room went silent, but then then a few footsteps later he found himself looking at Clarisse's uncle. He was an average sized man, appeared to be slightly balding and had glasses that gave him an ominous presence

"Ah yes… the fireman" he said coldly

"I heard you had a chat with our daughter on the way here, what is it that I can help you with, Mr. Montag?"

Montag took a step back, what is it that I need? he thought to himself.

"I'm not sure, I just wanted to know what you talk about, so that just maybe I can know why I'm not happy" He said, confused by his own words. The uncle looked at Montag closely, almost as if he were analyzing Montag's very core.

"I wonder, you come to our doorstep in uniform, and ask us what we are talking about… But I think we can understand your plight." He opens the door cautiously and walks back to a large cushioned chair. Montag realized that he had forgot to change when he was home because of Mildred's suicide attempt, he tries to hide his sadness as he steps inside.

"Close the door behind you and have a seat." A woman told Montag, motioning towards another chair. Montag noticed Clarisse and the other woman, who was around Mildred's age, with her.

"So you found the answer to my question?" Clarisse asked curiously

"Yes, although I'm not sure why." Montag answered silently, embarrassed he had actually asked to listen to them.

"That's ok, you're the first who took me seriously, and many just ignore me or are mad at me." Clarisse said reassuringly

"But I haven't introduced you yet, this is my mother Florence, and my uncle Alexander." She introduced

"Nice to meet you, would you like some tea? It's hand-brewed, not from the machines that are installed" Florence said warmly

"Hand-brewed? I didn't know that the equipment was still available." Montag asked confused

"Sure, it's hard to come by but our family kept the original kettles that the government recalled." Clarisse said matter-of-factly

"The new automatic models use powders rather than the leaves and herbs that they used before the recall. It's faster at making tea but it takes away a lot of the flavor" she continues.

"You should know how people are now-a-days, always focusing on speed, and destinations, never on the journey." Adds Alexander.

"sure, but what if the journey isn't an easy one, what if there are pains one feels on the way, wouldn't it be better to focus on the destination" asks Montag, realizing he himself may be sucked into conversation with a family like this around.

"That may be how things appear at first sight, but simply trying to make things easy and get to the destination quickly won't make one's life better, it's those pains and troubles we go through that allow us to experience happiness once we achieve it, otherwise we would simply be mindlessly going through our lives waiting for happiness, when in fact we cannot experience it without a bad experience to compare it to." Alexander explained

"But then wouldn't we want to remain at that happiness once we achieve it?" Montag questioned

"But if your happy for too long then you become unhappy, because if you try to stay happy, you will only lower your understanding of happiness, as there wouldn't be a polar to compare it to." Alexander explained with a happy smirk on his face.

"He had theorized this a while ago, but he still feels proud that he can explain it to people who asks that question" Clarisse mutters with a happy glance towards Alexander then Montag

"I'm glad to see you two can get along, I was afraid how you two might have reacted if you met each other" she mentions to them both

"What do you mean?" questioned Montag Clarisse's smile lowered slightly, Alexander can tell you if he wants, but it's not my business to talk about.

Head hurting from the conversation before, Montag glances at alexander to see that he has a gloomy look on his face, and finally sits back before beginning the story. What could he be thinking wondered Montag? As Alexander eyed the salamander he began to speak of his wife Theresa. He spoke of how they met and of her personality.

"Where is your wife now?" asked Montag quietly

"she died 5 years ago, because there was a mix up of addresses reported for having books, the firemen came and began to burn the house down, the owners of the actual house had fled after being reported so they didn't try to contact the owner, they simply poured kerosene around the house a set it aflame while my wife was sleeping in the back room. By the time I got back they had discovered the body and called for the disposal team, I didn't even get to say goodbye because they incinerate unidentified bodies."

Montag was struck speechless, such a mistake is rarely seen in the fire department, he hadn't heard of this either, how could such a tragedy go unheard of, wondered Montag.

"I'm sorry for your loss, I understand why you didn't trust me at first, but I hope that you will let me come again sometime."

"Sure, I'd like for you to come over again Montag, it is interesting talking to someone out of the family like this, and I would like to do it again as well"

Finished with the conversation, and glad that he mustered the courage, Montag got up and headed back to his house, it was very late and he did not want to keep them up any longer. As he stepped back into his apartment, and began to relax, he reflected on his discussions with the McLellan family and began to realize just how unhappy he might be. Perhaps he should bring Mildred with him next time, but how would she stay away from her "family" long enough to understand,

"I just don't know anymore" and he let a sleep-lozenge dissolve on his tongue, and fell asleep reminiscing on how happy he was for the short time he spoke with her family.


End file.
